The announcement of the prize was given a lukewarm reception by journalists, who wanted to know how Branson could offer the prize whilst simultaneously operating a transatlantic air fleet and, in the near future, a low-orbit space flight programme. Branson said that although he could afford to close the Virgin Atlantic airline today, its place would simply be taken by British Airways. He also claimed that his engineers had made his space-flight Virgin Galatic programme “environmentally benign”, although he was unable to provide specific details.

Branson’s assembled panel seemed to have widely differing views on how the prize would be administered: the Virgin boss was keen to stress that technology would hold the key to solving climate change; Al Gore argued simultaneously that mankind already possessed the technology needed to tackle global warming, and that a lack of political will was the only impediment; and Sir Crispin Tickell put forward the idea that the prize be used to change public and consumer attitudes.

The most encouraging announcement of the conference came from Australian writer Tim Flannery, who joined the assembly via satellite link from Sydney. Asked by an ABN journalist whether he was embarrassed by Australia’s track record on tackling climate change, he said that he had only become “more determined”, and promised that 2007 would be the year “that all Australians must become very serious about climate change.”